Those with children in ps questions...

[Princess Ariel]

especially those who have gone from homeschooling to ps, where did you start?  I want to explore our options for either part time services or full time enrollment for our kids who have several diagnosed learning disabilities. We did take advantage of ps services at the elementary level for one child  but did not continue on to middle school. There is probably even an inactive IEP out there that we are not using. We are looking at middle school and high school but I really just want to talk to someone about what would be available before committing to anything. It all seems much more confusing at this level than it did at the elementary level as these schools are quite large and the staff is huge as well.  Would you begin with someone in the guidance department, administration, or who exactly would I start with? I do not know anyone in my district who uses special needs services and in general  mostly know homeschoolers with children who don't have learning issues.

 

We are running out of options with the many homeschool coop type classes that are offered in our area as these kids just are not able to handle the material without going back to a lower level of course work and in some cases that would be really  difficult.  We are also finding that many of the teachers at these coops, no matter how well equipped  they may be, are  just  not able to deal with ASD types of behaviors, etc.

 

I hope I don't sound too hesitant but this is a big leap for me and  I am getting to the point where I don't think I have the energy to reinvent the wheel if there is already something in place out there in the schools to prepare my kids for the next level of education and onto adult  life. I have already  heard the horror stories but would like to hear of positive experiences.

Thanks!

[Mom22ns]

I don't have any personal experience with returning kids to ps, but my kids started in ps and I have a good relationship with our local schools to this day. I would start with a phone call the the front office of each school. Tell them you are considering enrolling your child/children with disabilities that have previously had IEPs and ask to be directed. 

 

Some schools will direct you to a counselor. Others will put you directly in touch with a process coordinator that would be your child's case manager and will begin arranging testing and placement. Either way, you can start with a phone conversation and a meeting. You may need to put your request for testing and special ed services in writing if they don't respond to it well. Some schools will see that a child with needs is coming and will want to respond. Others will do the minimum required by law which is nothing until you put a request in writing. 

 

There is no way to predict if the situation will be fabulous or terrible. If you can't provide what your children need, seeking help is a wise decision. The public schools may or may not turn out to be the answer, but they are a resource and there is no reason to ignore the resources they have. You are right to ignore the horror stories. It isn't always bad and it doesn't always have to be. 

 

[OneStepAtATime]

I don't have any personal experience with returning kids to ps, but my kids started in ps and I have a good relationship with our local schools to this day. I would start with a phone call the the front office of each school. Tell them you are considering enrolling your child/children with disabilities that have previously had IEPs and ask to be directed. 

 

Some schools will direct you to a counselor. Others will put you directly in touch with a process coordinator that would be your child's case manager and will begin arranging testing and placement. Either way, you can start with a phone conversation and a meeting. You may need to put your request for testing and special ed services in writing if they don't respond to it well. Some schools will see that a child with needs is coming and will want to respond. Others will do the minimum required by law which is nothing until you put a request in writing. 

 

There is no way to predict if the situation will be fabulous or terrible. If you can't provide what your children need, seeking help is a wise decision. The public schools may or may not turn out to be the answer, but they are a resource and there is no reason to ignore the resources they have. You are right to ignore the horror stories. It isn't always bad and it doesn't always have to be. 

:iagree:

[Innisfree]

We are in a similar position of considering what the school can offer after we got an ASD diagnosis. I don't have much to offer as advice but can say the school staff was perfectly welcoming when I called to ask about the process.

 

One book I've just ordered is Wrightslaw: From Emotion to Advocacy (hope I've got the title right). It looked like it would have good information on working with the school and getting an appropriate IEP. I think I remember others here mentioning it. Are there any other good resources for this process?

[Lecka]

I would call the school they are zoned for and ask this question to the secretary, and see what the secretary says.  Or, I would go on the district website and call the office for special education -- there will often be a number to call for the school district. 

 

I would also search the school district's name and autism.  I do not know if this is common, but our district is set up with a "district autism coordinator" and locally, I would recommend anyone to call her or her assistant.  I think that locally, you would be given this woman's name and number pretty quickly. 

 

 

Anyway -- those are my ideas. 

 

I have read that book.  My comment on it -- I read it and it made me scared that there would be problems like in the book.  We have not had problems like in the book.  But -- I think I have benefited from reading it, too, in the practical ways.  Just -- in our case, the worry was not necessary.  So much of that book is about problems we have just not had. 

 

At our local library -- there are a few other books about IEPs.  I have browsed/read/skimmed all of them.  I see people mention the NOLO IEP book now, and I have browsed it.  I don't have any strong opinion one way or another, though. 

 

There is another Wrightslaw book (or maybe that one -- not sure) that actually has IDEA (the law) in it, and then it gives an explanation of that section of IDEA.  This is great to me -- makes me feel very informed, and also like I understand it. 

 

I know people in our same district who have had bad problems, and someone in our church is in a protracted battle with the school district.  But I cannot say enough good things about our experience.  I can say this -- in many circumstances it is not possible for me to say how good our experience has been, b/c if someone else is having a bad problem, it is not appropriate for me to gloat in their face.  (Or this is my feeling.)  I do not lie and I say things quietly, but I do not go on and on, and sometimes in my direct experience, this means that in my church frex people here one sentence from me and paragraphs from the other woman.  I feel horrible about the problems she is having, too.  But this is a little bit of how you hear things, sometimes -- how can I go on and on about how good our experience is, while her experience is not good?  Also, I do not 100% agree with her viewpoint, but I do not think it is productive for me to be critical of her, I think she needs and deserves support at church.  I think a lot of people privately agree with me, that she could handle things a little differently.  But at the same time -- I do not believe in blaming parents, and I do not know all the ins and outs that have led her to this place, and so I am on her side.  But I do not listen to her and go "they don't care about special needs kids here" (what she says) b/c it is not my own experience. 

[Mom22ns]

One book I've just ordered is Wrightslaw: From Emotion to Advocacy (hope I've got the title right). It looked like it would have good information on working with the school and getting an appropriate IEP. I think I remember others here mentioning it. Are there any other good resources for this process?

 

The title is correct and we used it for every communication we had with the schools. They have great sample letters for so many situations and it really helped us get correct wording so we were asking for what we were legally entitled to. Using it as a guide we got so much more help than other families we knew with similar kids who didn't know how to work the system. We also never had any big problems. This book was a lifeline for us.

[Mom22ns]

 "they don't care about special needs kids here" (what she says) b/c it is not my own experience. 

 

I heard this from other families too and I don't believe it was true at all. The school was fettered by the system in which they worked. There were the legal requirements, the financial limitations, and the desire to help all rolled up together. Knowing all sides, being willing to work with them and not against them, making sure we educated ourselves, stayed informed and involved, were all part of making our sn child's time in ps successful.

 

That said, we ran up against a principal who totally didn't get it and a building that was extremely unfriendly to sn kids (including gifted) they wanted everyone to fit their box. Ds couldn't fit in that box, so we left. There is a lot that can be accomplished with a good attitude and working within the system. There are some things that can't. My advice to the OP is to be prepared to do all you can to get the best outcome you can and if that isn't enough, to keep looking for alternatives.

 

Even when we left we did it civilly without burning any bridges so we could continue to use any services we needed. The public schools did a fantastic job of a re-eval. of ds in support of disability services for testing and college for us. They have once again, been great. I know not everyone works with a wonderful district and great professionals, but I have had that privilege. I know you can find many horror stories out there about any district, but that doesn't mean they aren't doing their best or that it won't work for another family.

[Guest k.engle]

We transitioned one with learning disabilities, physical and mental health issues, and pre-diagnosed conditions (adhd, bipolar, etc) into PS at the start of her second grade year. We were very upfront with the school about the issues we faced, and gave clear specifics of the learning disabilities that were the cause of moving her into the system. Years of working with her one-on-one had proven that we needed extra help from specialists for her learning disabilities.

 

The school was initially welcoming, but after a full battery of testing, decided not to provide any services because, they concluded, all of her delays were clearly as a result of being homeschooled. They decided a year in a public school classroom would catch her up with no trouble.

 

She wasted the entire second grade year. She never got any extra help, and went from being the best reader in class to the worst. She learned NONE of the math that year. However, this backsliding was enough to prove to the school that she had real issues, and this year she has an IEP. She now receives special instruction in math and reading, as well as a host of special accommodations. This year is much better.

 

What I would conclude from this is 1. Be prepared for everything to take a LONG TIME in their system. No one is likely to be in a hurry to do anything for you, and every step of the process takes time. 2. Be prepared with as much data as possible. If you already keep portfolios, that would likely be very helpful. 3. Don't be afraid to find an educational advocate to help you fight for what you need. They know the system and the right language to use in ways that ordinary parents might take years to learn.  

[6wishes]

"What I would conclude from this is 1. Be prepared for everything to take a LONG TIME in their system. No one is likely to be in a hurry to do anything for you, and every step of the process takes time. 2. Be prepared with as much data as possible. If you already keep portfolios, that would likely be very helpful. 3. Don't be afraid to find an educational advocate to help you fight for what you need. They know the system and the right language to use in ways that ordinary parents might take years to learn. "

 

Completely agree with these. This is our second year in ps. I went in with outside diagnosis of dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and they wouldn't provide services-also attributed to not receiving targeted instruction in homeschooling. We were evaluated twice, and denied twice. We have basically waited to fail there, and because only the last year is taken into consideration on their evaluations, homeschooling isn't part of the picture now. We have filed a complaint, which I hate to do, but we go into middle school next year, and we've also picked up another diagnosis since through an IEE. It's a frustrating process-which probably varies greatly by state and individual school districts. Knowing your rights is key, as many I've found don't know the law, so Wrightslaw is a great resource-books and website. And I too found the most help from their book which included the actual IDEA law. Honestly, I'm greatly considering homeschooling again because unfortunately, they're not meeting her needs. Also, the IEP in and of itself isn't the endgame, it's a well written IEP, so there is more you'll have to know on including effective goals-an advocate can help greatly with this process. Polite but firm is my motto, and put everything in writing! I do go out of my way to show kindness to teachers and principal-many times they don't have the correct information they're working from.

 

Good luck, and go in with neutral expectations. Hopefully your situation is one where there won't be issues, and they will be great to work with!

[Ottakee]

I transitioned my son into public school in 6th grade and my girls to public school in 7th grade for very similar reasons.  Homeschooling was great K-6 but as they reached the 7-12 grade programs for homeschool they just couldn't keep up either socially or academically.

 

It has been a very good thing for all of mine.

[Princess Ariel]

Thank you for all of your responses.  I have been calling for two days and so far all I have gotten accomplished is a grand game of "telephone tag"!  A bit discouraged but I will try again tomorrow. 

[Lecka]

It can take a long time to figure out the person to talk to, and then actually talk to them.  I hope it is worth it!  Anyway -- good for you for the calls you have made!  Gold star! 

 

It can be the most frustrating -- I always want a gold star when I have to do it ;)

[Crimson Wife]

Thank you for all of your responses.  I have been calling for two days and so far all I have gotten accomplished is a grand game of "telephone tag"!  A bit discouraged but I will try again tomorrow. 

 

Check your district website to see if they list an office of special education. Send a written request via certified mail for an evaluation to whoever is the director. That will start the clock even if the request winds up getting passed on to somebody else to actually handle.

[Princess Ariel]

Check your district website to see if they list an office of special education. Send a written request via certified mail for an evaluation to whoever is the director. That will start the clock even if the request winds up getting passed on to somebody else to actually handle.

 

Thanks.  The thing is, though, that I want to know what our options are, what specifically is available for services either academic, job training, etc., before I actually request an evaluation.  I have gone through evaluations before and it is a lot of work if we are not exactly sure of  what we want. I did send an email for one of my dc who already has an IEP, which we did not use this year (long story), to check on the status of it and find out how it would work to get it started again.  We never signed off on anything so I think it should still be in effect should we choose to use it. This child would be transitioning to a new school with new staff, etc. Lots of miscommunication there!

The elementary school had staff that we could actually talk to, ask questions of, etc.  The middle and high school act as though they had never worked with homeschoolers before, and just wanted to quote the law to us instead of have a conversation with us (this was a couple of years ago). 

I think I will try the director of special ed for the district and see where I get with that, LOL!

[Arcadia]

I have been calling for two days and so far all I have gotten accomplished is a grand game of "telephone tag"! A bit discouraged but I will try again tomorrow.

If it's near enough, make a trip to the district office. My district office don't like parents staring at them while they work so answers come fast. My district office handles the evaluation requests anyway so showing up in person expedites it.

[Crimson Wife]

Thanks.  The thing is, though, that I want to know what our options are, what specifically is available for services either academic, job training, etc., before I actually request an evaluation.  I have gone through evaluations before and it is a lot of work if we are not exactly sure of  what we want.

 

Needs drive services and if the district doesn't have the program in place already they are legally required to do a private placement & pick up the tab. The district may try to strong-arm you into their existing programs but the Federal IDEA law protects your child's rights to alternatives if those would better meet your child's identified needs. But you would need a current eval first.

[chiguirre]

When I enrolled Geezle it was very easy because he had been attending speech and social skills club at the middle school he attends. If your testing isn't current, it will take a long time to get it done. The timelines are laid out by law and the clock starts when you send in a written request. I think if you start now, it should be done by next school year.

 

Good luck!